Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Forget about baseball , football and the Academy Awards . The hottest new fantasy-league game involves the Supreme Court .

A month-old Web site called FantasySCOTUS.net allows people to predict all of the high court 's pending cases .

Josh Blackman , a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Kim Gibson in Johnstown , Pennsylvania , created the game in his spare time .

`` In the digital age , everyone has an opinion and is eager to share it , '' Blackman said . `` They know how a case will come out , and this gives them a way to play a justice . ''

The growing fantasy league has 2,000 members , mostly students , who can sign up for free . Professionals and other individuals can join for $ 10 or less .

The rules are simple . Thirteen points are up for grabs in each case , and they are awarded as follows :

• One point for correctly predicting the outcome ;

• Three points for correctly predicting how the vote is split -- for example , 5-4 or 6-3 ;

• And one point for every justice 's vote correctly predicted .

The court will hear about 80 cases before wrapping up in late June . Blackman said the league 's winner will then receive the first `` Chief Justice Award . ''

The court itself is not involved in FantasySCOTUS , and it does not endorse it . Court sources say , however , that several justices are aware of the fantasy league and find it interesting . Blackman said that to his knowledge , no judges -- federal or state -- have signed up to play .

`` Most of the participants are students , I 'd say about 90 percent , '' he said . `` I 've been contacted by high schools and middle schools across the country . Teachers are having their students play . They say it 's a great way to get them involved in understanding the Constitution and how laws are interpreted . They can wrap their hands around it . It 's an experience you do n't get by just reading a text . ''

The case everyone is now following , Blackman said , deals with a potential overhaul of federal campaign spending . Such an overhaul could give corporations and labor unions more power to spend their own money on political messages .

So far , about two-thirds of FantasySCOTUS players predict the conservative-majority court will undercut the current spending limitations imposed by Congress . A ruling is n't expected until next month at the earliest .

Blackman said the campaign spending case inspired him to create his Web site last month .

`` A friend asked me how I thought the case might turn out , and I wondered , ` If -LSB- Las -RSB- Vegas put odds on it , what would it be ? ' '' Blackman said . `` And I thought , why not create a site to do just that ? ''

Blackman said no money is wagered on his league , which requires serious gamers to do at least some research on current and past cases .

`` We 'll never know what goes on behind chambers , when the justices decide these very important cases , '' he said . `` But when you get past the grandeur , the mystery of the court , this league is something where anybody can participate . It 's not just for the legal nerd . The cases come down to facts , to law . It makes people feel like they are more involved in understanding what goes on up there . ''

Sotomayor settles in

The high court has begun a four-week recess , but new Justice Sonia Sotomayor will not be sitting still . She heads to Puerto Rico on Wednesday to be honored at a series of events in the island commonwealth where her parents were born .

Since being sworn in as the 111th justice in August , Sotomayor has had a relatively smooth transition in her new chambers . She began hearing cases with her colleagues in September , and last week , she issued the first ruling of the term , a relatively small case dealing with attorney-client privilege .

Court sources say that the 55-year-old justice has found the caseload a bit overwhelming at times and that she has been working long hours and spending many late evenings at the court . They also say that she has been friendly and open to her new co-workers and that her eight benchmates have helped her fit in as the `` junior '' justice .

Off the bench , Sotomayor has given several interviews and attended several parties and galas , including a black-tie event in September sponsored by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute . There , President Obama praised his high-court selection as `` our own royalty . ''

Friends say privately that Sotomayor has taken her love of exotic cuisine to her new hometown and that she has been seen at a variety of Washington restaurants , often ordering take-out . Asian cuisine is a particular favorite for this `` adventurous diner , '' as one friend called the justice , and the native New Yorker is still looking for a convenient place to get a good bagel .

Late Chief Justice Rehnquist honored

A marble bust of late Chief Justice William Rehnquist was recently unveiled at the Supreme Court 's Upper Great Hall .

Designed by sculptor Mark Fondersmith , it was placed in the broad entrance area outside the ornate courtroom .

The nine current justices attended the unveiling ceremony , along with Rehnquist 's family . Rehnquist 's successor praised him at the ceremony , saying he was well-liked and admired inside the court .

`` Despite his modest and unassuming ways , he has left a permanent impression on this institution , both as a great justice and a great chief justice , '' said Chief Justice John Roberts , who was a law clerk to Rehnquist and counted him as a mentor .

Rehnquist , the 16th chief justice of the United States , died of thyroid cancer in September 2005 . He was elevated to chief justice in 1986 after serving as an associate justice for nearly 15 years .

Justice John Paul Stevens , who joined the court four years after Rehnquist , called his friend `` a first among equals in every wonderful sense . ''

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A new online game allows people to try to predict the outcome of high court cases

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Students can play the game for free ; others can play for $ 10 or less

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In other Supreme Court news , Justice Sonia Sotomayor will soon go to Puerto Rico

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Former Chief Justice William Rehnquist honored with marble bust at court 's Upper Great Hall